On the sand dune.
Rasa stared in shock at the Adamantine Sealing Chains that had appeared out of nowhere.
His expression changed sharply. Before he could speak, a palm pressed against his back.
"!!!"
"!!!"
At Rasa's side, Yashamaru moved first, driving a Kunai at the stranger's head.
Shinji gave a cold laugh.
He sent Yashamaru flying with a whip kick. "Small fry should stay out of my way!"
Bang!
The terrifying force of the kick, backed by a compressed blast of air, hurled Yashamaru deep into the sand.
He coughed up blood by the mouthful. He was clearly not going to survive!
Rasa recoiled in horror, springing backward several times to put distance between himself and Shinji. Before he could even make out the man's face, his hands flashed through Hand Seals.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Imperial Funeral!!!"
Rumble—
Heavy Gold Dust surged from the ground like a wave rolling backward, swallowing Shinji in an instant. The glittering sand shone brightly.
Then it spun and crushed inward, forming a pyramid of Gold Dust.
Rasa glanced at Yashamaru, whose fate was uncertain. Expressionless, he poured in more Chakra and locked his hands into a seal. "Explode!!!"
Boom!
A massive explosion shook the desert. The Konoha Ninja and Sunagakure ninja, locked in bitter combat once more, stopped fighting and looked over.
All of them were dumbstruck.
The enormous Gold Dust pyramid standing in the desert collapsed inward, becoming a terrifying vortex that sucked in every grain of flowing sand!
But...
What happened next stunned everyone.
Rasa froze, horror spreading across his face.
"What is that?!"
Rumble—
Amid a series of deafening booms, a fully armored, dark-gold giant rose from the vast sand pit like a god descending to earth!
It towered like a mountain!
Whoosh!
Flames rose!
Two enormous Tachi of